Within Reach
by Funeral.Bell
Summary: Once the end of every second week arrives, only then does Red accept defeat.


**A/N**: heres a little something for being gone for like a long time and not updating gomen this was uh written before origins so theres actually no similarities intended but really there isnt unless you think of actual in-game quotes but thats only a small section anywho this is completely unrelated to the childhood ver of f&a this is its own thing and like hotdog an actual pokemon fic! and because i get this QUESTION OFTEN when starting red/green fics this is a **_gameverse personality _**going on with like growing up twist  
**Extra note**: yes this is a Green goes up the mountain thing but its new kind a method that i hope yall will like ahhh and yay subtle Red/Green and one last thing i dont know what genre this falls into im just gonna leave it as hurt/comfort omg  
**Special thanks**: so my regular beta was feeling blue but she still deserves recognition yay but also id like to thank _kiomenta _being my beta for this like oh my god thank yooooou cries into hands (oh and Bulbapedia too for the quotes holy shit did i need those)  
**Disclaimer**: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and definitely not me sighs loudly**  
**

* * *

"Remember to be on your best behavior when you greet the new neighbors. I think you'll be very excited to meet the good Professor, Red! He has two grandchildren, and I think one is your age too. Oh, I think it's a wonderful chance for you to make a new friend!"

Her persuasion marked his new beginning from the minute she expressed her excitement to the instant she bumped her hip against the door to close it, one hand holding a plate of warm, aromatic cookies, while the other had a soft, gentle hold on his own hand. Red knocked on the door on his mother's request, half-listening to her reminding him to offer a smile and suppress his urge to devour the cookies — "It's meant for them," she sternly mentioned before they left the house — while the other half of him was preoccupied by the sight of tiny, crushed flowers peeking under the doormat.

A shadow loomed over the doormat that spurred Red's attention to the open door, owlishly blinking at the kind smile of the elderly professor, who was garbed in casual wear — much to Red's initial disappointment, as he was expecting a white coat of some kind — and regarded the two of them with a thoughtful gesticulation to enter, stepping aside and asking them to excuse the mess of the living room as they were still unpacking. His mother released his hand to make a beeline through the large packages, setting the housewarming gift on the available coffee table sandwiched between larger boxes and a few machoke who were busy tidying and moving furniture around the room.

Red stiffened a little as he felt a light tap on his shoulder and directed his eyes toward the professor, the aged man crouching to Red's level to greet his other guest. "Hello, you can call me Professor Oak; it's a pleasure meeting you! What's your name?"

Politely nodding to the mutual sentiments, he softly responded in return. "Red…"

"So your name is Red, is it? Well, Red, how old are you?"

Rather than relaying a verbal answer, Red raised seven digits.

Professor Oak gave a whooping, wholehearted laugh. "You're the same age as my grandson! Hmm," he trailed off suddenly, his gray eyebrows knitting together pensively, "what was his name again?"

Red returned his hands to his sides, startled by the thunderous footsteps and a booming voice laced with aggravation. "Grandpa!" the voice whined, its source pushing a box aside, mumbling under his breath that there was no room to walk before joining his grandfather. "It's _Green!_ If you're gonna forget a name, then forget Daisy's instead of mine!"

The professor hoisted himself back to his feet, mildly complaining of the cramp between his knees crouching for long intervals, and affectionately ruffled his grandson's hair. "You two play nice," he said, chuckling softly when his temperamental grandson was batting his hand away in a fit of childish indignation.

While the older Oak rejoined his mother's side to talk about life in Pallet, Green blinked curiously at Red's form, arrogantly smirking at the boy's disinterested expression. Green thumped his fist gently on his chest, the anger in his voice faded into an enthusiastic, if not overly self-righteous, tone, "The name's Green and don't you forget it! Doesn't it feel great you get to meet me, the future pokémon master and champion of this region?"

Red rolled his eyes despite himself.

Green immediately became defensive and put off by the reaction. "Don't believe me?" he growled irritably, his nostrils flaring as he waited for another reaction from Red. When nothing seemed to strike a nerve, Green looked deflated, yet his natural arrogance resurfaced, each word uttered more vehemently than the next. "Just you wait 'til I'm the Champion! My grandpa says I got the spirit of a winner! That means you," he pointed accusingly at Red, who looked undeterred by the rude gesture, "and everybody else," he retracted his hand and flagged his arms, waving them slightly to symbolize the world, "are going down!"

That challenge started their friendship where nothing was solely centered on competitions, they both possessed a bright glimmer in their eyes when they would look through pictures of past champions, through Green's grandfather's records of the pokémon he was eager to have in his possession, while Red enjoyed admiring the excited grin and the overeager body language his friend revealed throughout their days together. They would, under their respective parent and guardian's permission, ask to stay outdoors during the night to lie on the grass to talk, to admire the large, bright stars above them.

Green would point out the constellations he learned from his sister that, on several occasions, joined them in their close merriment, often to care for the pair when Red's mother was out of town and her grandfather was too busy in his lab downstairs. Red would ask her if he had something on his face whenever he caught her staring at him, but every time Daisy would shake her head with a revered smile and say, "It's nothing."

Although they were both reprimanded frequently, they would venture through the tall grass in hopes of encountering pokémon, through pickets of large trees, or hope for the best they could fish something out of the small pond of their town. When they convinced the adventurer in their hearts to give them courage, Green would snatch Red by the hand, in a huff he would explain it was only a gesture so they would not get separated but Red never once raised a question: he nodded, he accompanied, he relished his time even if Green filled the silence for him, and he would be the first to reassure Green — _it's okay_ — and the loose grip would become firmer instantly, the lingering hesitation would vanish, and Green would be excitedly rambling about turning ten in three years so they could challenge each other, and he would go his way

and Red his own.

And when those conversations arose, Green gradually detected the awkward tension, then he would clear his throat, encourage Red to sleep over and they'll play video games all night — Green swore he would control his anger if he lost, even though he never suspected that Red often let him win: despite the sheer, eye-rolling gloating boosting his exasperating ego, Red would only close his eyes and feel content he allowed Green the opportunity to win so he could continue to see that spunky, boyish smirk — and they would get so drowsy but would also make the effort to keep themselves awake.

* * *

Their eighth year was no different: they were still too young to have a pokémon of their own, too young to experience the world of adventure outside of their hometown, yet they were inseparable. The few residents would greet them with a friendly wave or teasingly ask them "where the other half" was off too, but during colder weather they completely housed themselves in each other's room, fairly alternating every couple of days.

They were bundled close together on Green's sofa, a single blanket thrown over their shoulders, Red was busily sipping a cup of warm chocolate Daisy brewed for him, while Green hugged his knees close, his emerald eyes focused determinedly on the pokémon battle showcasing on the television. When the tournament declared its winner, Green turned his head to Red and declared, "That'll be us one day too! 'Course imma be the victor of the battle and you're gonna eat my dust!"

Red spit the marshmallow he was chewing directly at his friend's nose.

* * *

Several weeks later, Green arrived at Red's house on a weekend morning before their favorite shows premiered, and it was not until he was seated at the kitchen table that he realized he arrived far too early. Scarfing down his egg-toast morning meal, Red's mother stirred her coffee, spacing out in between to fiddle with the spoon, a brooding look heavy on her youthful face.

"What'sa matter?" the brunet asked, his mouth full of food that muffled his words.

Exhaling a sharp sigh, she confessed her concerns. "You two will soon be out on your own journey… I'm worried. I have all the confidence in the world you'll be fine, Green," she giggled softly at the grin perking the younger Oak's face for the praise, "but Red… will he make friends? Will he be okay? You two are best friends but I know you'll follow your own path." Plagued by her worries, she pushed aside the cup, and raked both her hands through her morning bed hair, her fingers visibly rubbing soothing circles in an attempt to lessen the rising anxiety.

Swallowing his breakfast down his throat, Green pressed his thumb to his chest. "Don't worry! No matter what, I promise I'll look out for him." Beaming a toothy grin, he added, "If you throw in some of your homemade cookies, I swear I'll even bring him back to Pallet town when he's gone too long!"

To humor him, she urged Green to head upstairs to give Red a warm wake-up call while she prepared him a platter of cookies to bring to his family.

* * *

In their ninth year during one sleepover, Red could not sleep: he had too much on his mind to think these days were coming to an end – no more sleep overs, no more adventures in the forest surrounding the town, no more movie marathons, no more talking under the night's stars, no more jeering comments from the town's people,

but they were together.

Being best friends meant togetherness, he thought, it meant there was a close bond —

Red turned on his side facing Green, his snoozing friend had one hand resting on his stomach and his other hand splayed beside him, his mouth parted slightly to breathe in and breathe out just as his belly fell and rose. The window offered the dimmest shine of light through the blinds of Green's windows. Red hesitantly reached to brush the pads of Green's fingertips with his own, yet decided against it.

Not now. Not yet.

Exhaling quietly through his nose, Red's eyes fluttered shut.

— why was it now, he wondered sullenly, that there seemed to be a distance forming.

* * *

In their tenth year, Red agreed he would wait on Green's birthday to receive their first pokémon together, also to reassure Green he would remain in town so he would not get a "head start." He never had to choose a pokémon from the three he was aware was going to be offered, his starter was chosen when he encountered a wild pikachu causing a ruckus and spurring mischief in the morning that through a series of tiring events, the small bundle of energy was his despite its disgruntled attitude being caged within a pokéball.

Pikachu grew a little friendlier in the course of days when it was allowed to free roam, often the mouse pokémon was found happily snuggled in the embrace of his mother praising Pikachu for its charm. Green was displeased, yet the bitterness forming dissipated almost instantly as he commented breezily he was going to get a better pokémon regardless with his grandfather's help, earning a little bolt of electricity from Pikachu's aggravation of Green's condescending attitude.

Red felt like he could breathe easy: they were back on the same grounds again.

When Green's birthday arrived, Red fastened the straps of his backpack snug against his back, jogging excitedly to the Oak's family house. When he knocked on the door, Daisy greeted him with a fleeting smile.

"I'm really sorry, I tried to stop him. Green…" she sighed glumly, "Green already left."

* * *

When they reunited, the reason for his abrupt departure was never touched upon, if anything it was a casual meeting as if nothing ever occurred until Green demanded a battle in the field. Granted, Pikachu, his only pokémon, did not completely warm up to its new partnership with Red, nor could it use its full potential on Eevee either with Red's little experience in battle and training.

Green left with a mock laugh, praising his Eevee for its performance, and bid Red a farewell to try harder next time to even land a scratch on Eevee. Sighing disappointingly, Red tolerated his pokémon's aggression for its first loss as he too was resting in a free room in the Pokémon Center, craving the taste of victory rather than allowing Green all the opportunities – this was a challenge between them, he would assume Green wanted to know he could win because of his brilliance, because of his own raw talent,

not because victory was simply passed onto him.

There was room for trial and error as he battled a lot more often, the void of his friendship seemed enough with Pikachu, along with his new party members, most of his time spent was allowing his pokémon to train themselves while he observed quietly on the sidelines. He had faith in every pokémon of his: they acknowledged their faults, they knew what moves to brush on, they were improving,

he was improving, he thought positively.

He swept through gym leaders, his verbal commands were reduced from a few quips to no words shared at all: there was an understanding between him and his pokémon that they were able to predict their trainer's desired strategy, they would often glance at their trainer to have the assurance they are doing exactly as he would have preferred. The only occasions he made verbal commands was against Green,

he was winning,

his childhood friend was losing.

And the distance kept growing wider.

In every encounter there was a flare in Green's once free, vibrant eyes, which had been long replaced with anger and a mingled amount of disbelief that he was losing. He would deny his losses, raise an argument it was fluke because it was _he _who was going to be the _champion_ since his grandfather always told him _he_ was destined for greatness, _he_ was a winner.

Their encounters had brought the smallest smile on Red's lips, now they only brought a regretful sting in his chest that he often held his breath, hoping in the next corner he would not cross paths with Green who would immediately pressure him to another unpleasant battle. The breaking point was when Red took it upon himself to lead himself into the warzone of Team Rocket and thwart the leader behind the recent shady figures littering the town, admittedly it was not an easy task to settle everything and destroy a base with his pokémon, yet he alone did it and for the first time did he feel proud.

Green was in the same town, yet Red could never distinguish whether he was angry because it was not Green Oak that received the glory or that, perhaps, his childhood best friend threw himself in the face of danger. There was no pokémon challenge this time, nor any other time, rather he hardly ever seen a single trace of Green from each city he traveled through. A brief, visual sweep of the Indigo Plateau had him shake his head in disappointment, his friend was nowhere in sight. Recovering his confidence, he nodded at Pikachu that this was it; it was just him and his pokémon against the toughest trainers and the region champion.

There was not a single shred of doubt: he knew he could do this, his pokémon could do this, and victory against the champion would leave a sweet taste in his mouth.

And so he battled, from one member to the other, and was praised that he was among the brightest trainers that possessed the natural ability to battle that could rival, if not beat, their newly crowned champion. Red disregarded the extra comments they threw at him, his mind was focused solely on battling, battling a true challenge that might spur him to make verbal commands again, or tighten his fist so hard his knuckles turned white in anticipation.

Before entering the last door, Red glanced at his shoulder Pikachu was occupying, its black beady eyes bright with determination. It felt like a strange, unfamiliar motion that he could feel on his lips when his small grin perked a little wider, a coil tightened inside of him from the nerves overwhelming him in one fell swoop.

"Let's…" he said slowly, his voice tailing away in mutters, "Let's make this one count. We can… we _will _do this."

"Piii!" the electric rodent squeaked enthusiastically.

Through the large grand doors, Red eyed the dark arena suddenly flashing with bright lights to illuminate the area as well as the champion in waiting. As quick as the smile he bore for Pikachu formed, it had dropped, just like the weight and dread inside: this battle was not one that could be forgiven and brushed aside like all the rest of their unfavorable encounters,

the doors automatically slammed shut behind him.

"Yo, Red! I was looking forward to seeing you seeing you here!" Green's voice sounded less than thrilled but carried on. "While working on my pokédex, I looked all over for pokémon. Not only that, I assembled teams that would beat any pokémon type. And now I'm the league _champion!_ Remember when you made it seem this would be impossible for me? Yeah, of course you do, Red. Being champion requires talent and being the best of the best, so…" he trailed off, flaunting a broad sneer as he fished his pokéball out of his pocket. "Give me your best before I wipe the floor with you!"

Their battle seemed to drag on for longer than Red originally intended, he permitted his pokémon to act on their own, causing dispute on Green's side that riled him to no end when his pokémon were going down, the real panic took over when Green was on his last two pokémon while his rival had four pokémon he had yet to see so he could plan out even the narrowest of victories. His last pokémon was his unevolved Eevee, and although Red was aware he could secure his victory with any other pokémon, especially his slumbering Snorlax, he recalled his pokémon back to its ball and whispered into Pikachu's ear.

Pikachu nodded, jumped off his shoulder, and assumed a battle position against Eevee baring its tiny fangs. Midway through the battle, while Eevee was enduring the rodent's continuous onslaughts with every ounce of strength it could summon, Green's legs failed him and he dropped to his knees, one hand clamped on his face, his index finger and thumb pressing on his closed eyelids – without looking he knew it was over, he knew it the moment he could hear the footsteps coming closer.

Red's eyes softened when he heard the shake in his friend's voice. "Why. Why! Why, why, why, _why?!_" he wailed, his free hand pounding on the floor beneath him. "I've done everything I can! I worked hard for this! This was my _dream _to be the champion and it's already over before it can even begin!" Green adamantly shook his head; tears leaking from his fingers, his voice drew to a nearly inaudible whisper, "Why… why did I lose…?

The black haired trainer wanted to rest his hand on Green's shoulder, to find somewhere in him to say the right words, but he could only watch Green's arms tremble before him.

Green seemed so far away.

* * *

The peak of Mt. Silver became his new home for years without a single trainer or traveler ever stepping foot on his territory, a place where it was just him, his pokémon, and the snow-capped mountain. Anyone would assume their missing champion either disappeared off the face of the world or passed on from life at a young age. He grew much taller, his fringes were longer, he kept relations with people that were fully willing to keep his life a secret and happy to repair and mend his clothes as he continued to grow through the passing months. He rejected the use of scarves offered by them as he relied on Charizard expelling shots of fire on the stack of twigs and branches for the severely colder days.

In the first few years, he was overcome by guilt to call his poor, worried mother, but never had the heart to contact her or anyone else for that matter. The battle at the league was the last time he had ever seen Green, and he never knew what became of Professor Oak or the bright, almost sisterly Daisy Oak either when he was detached from life now that he had no new challengers, and even if he were to get off the mountain, it would be no challenge that would spur the ambition or spark the fire for battle.

At this point, his only concerns where whether his pokémon were comfortable from time to time: Snorlax was enjoying its life resting against the wall, slumbering soundly, Pikachu nestled on the soft belly. Blastoise was creating a little pool outside the cave for Lapras to swim in; Charizard entertained itself by setting the flame on its tail near Venasaur's large leaves, while Venasaur threatened the giant dragon-like beast with a sharp infliction of its vine whip.

Red stepped out of the cave, surveying the progress of their makeshift pool, and drew closer to inspect the construction when specks of snow and icy water splattered on his body. Blastoise made a grumbling noise in apology, yet the teen shrugged his shoulders, continuously observing their amusing antics to create a pool with snow surrounding every square inch of the peak.

Blastoise abruptly put a halt on its water cannons, Lapras stopped flapping its flippers joyfully to turn its neck, and all his pokémon inside the cave stepped out of the small abode and began to growl in unison, all except for his normally carefree Snorlax surprisingly awake and deeply frowning. Even his sleepy yellow partner regained its senses and stood its ground in front of Red, its tail held high and its teeth bared at the entrance of the cave opposite of their own. Charizard drew forward, unraveling a wing to hide Red behind the large, flying appendage, all the meanwhile the teen pressed down on the wing to see the object of his pokémon's sudden hostility.

The snow crunched beneath Green, bundled in light coat and a large backpack that presumably was used to navigate through the mountain and make use as small campsite. A yip echoed from Eevee trailing close behind its trainer's leg.

"If I win, you get off this mountain," Green said casually, not a hint of malice in his voice. "If I lose…" he trailed off, purposely leaving Red without an answer to the possible outcome.

In the end the battle went to Red, he expected another fit of anger just like when they were younger and on their first year apart from their homes, but Green was calm and collected while stuffing his pokéball back in his coat. "If I lose," he repeated again, his eyes refocused without any wavering conflictions, "you're still getting off this mountain."

With a thumping crush, Green set this backpack down, rummaging through the peeking sleeping bag, several clothes that was intended for his Eevee, and several tupperware filled to the brim with _food, _then he made a small hum when he drew out a gnarly yellow colored bag. "They're presents, I think," he explained vaguely, fishing out a thick paper photo sleeve to display at least one of the items. "Your mom and Daisy requested all these prints, I wouldn't be surprised if they captured every day of the six years you've been gone."

Red shifted his weight from one foot to the other; the mention of his absence spurred a guilty quaver caught in his throat: he couldn't formulate an answer to his disappearance; he couldn't even spare a greeting to his longtime friend.

With a mildly bored expression, Green approached the quiet teen, he kept his distance at least half an arm's length apart and pushed the bag onto Red's hand. Exhaling heavily through his nose, Green unraveled the scarf around his neck, leaned forward and proceeded to wound the scarf around Red's neck, disregarding the startled glint in Red's eyes. Goose bumps erupted up his neck with Green's long, cold fingers brushing against his frosty cheeks and red-tipped ears, his mouth parted slightly to steel his resolve to complain that he was long accustomed to the harsh, everlasting winter of the mountain.

Green's eyes narrowed into slits. "Argue with me, go ahead, I _dare_ you. You should consider this an honor," he fastened the scarf tighter and gave a small tug, not enough that it would hurt or choke Red, but enough for Red to yield to the strange sense of consideration. His sour disposition lasted only a few moments as he took a step back, drawing out a pair of bright, pink mittens adorned with knit patterns of smiling Pikachu heads. "Courtesy of Daisy, she thought if you were hiding in some place cold, you'd appreciate some protection for your hands."

Softening his face, Green snatched Red's wrist, forcibly slipping the mittens on, fighting the urge to utter a quiet chuckle when Red looked absolutely bewildered as he wiggled his fingers once they were on his hands. However, he was not ungrateful, but rather touched his needs were on their minds, it warmed his heart that he took a deep, silent inhale of the scent lingering on the scarf, smiling discreetly as Green mumbled to himself about his long, tedious trip through the mountain's various maze-like floors, Eevee yipping in cheerful agreement.

Although he could never express his appreciation, he was bouncing like an excited child in the inside – he was never forgotten, he was someone that someone else searched for far and wide,

and…

and he just wanted to bury his face in his new scarf because six long years reminded him how much he missed his mother, his neighbors, how much he missed Daisy and Professor Oak —

Red blinked a few times, eyeing Green grabbing his bag and dragging it closer, rambling about the weight and soreness around his shoulders.

— how much he missed Green Oak most of all.

"-not joking either, you're getting off this mountain. Like, if you want to seclude yourself all the way up here because it blows nobody's stronger down below, I feel ya, I'm a gym leader now and I've been getting some really disappointing results. Come up here all you want, but I'll come back every time now that I know you're-"

"I'm not leaving."

Eevee's large ears lowered in defeat, its little smile faltering as it mewled softly, nervous to chance a glance at the possibly fury or the lashing fury to overcome its trainer. Green clicked his tongue, his voice shaky from the frosty air sweeping his body, "You make it sound like it's a choice. You listen and you listen well, I have _had it_ with you, I was able to deal with it when were kids when you could be either stubborn or real quiet, but not here, not now. You're coming back to Pallet, I'll give you your space for a few days when you return—I _know _you'll be come up here again—and I'll bring you back. Every. Single. Time."

Red sighed through his nose, giving a brief glimpse at his pokémon to stand down and permit him to handle the situation – this was his problem, after all. "You… don't understand…" He thoughtfully wondered how much time has passed that he spoke longer than a sentence to anyone, he never noticed there was a twinge of pain from every word that left his mouth, the scratchy feeling in his dry throat. For _so long_ he had readied this speech whenever he was found, every moment he would rehearse and add an additional phrase or shake his head in disapproval to reconstruct his argument, and just as long ago he eventually forgot because he was never found.

Even today would have been just another day.

"It's not… It's not easy going down there," he said, mentally reassuring himself he was doing a satisfactory job, he just had to take it slow. "I left my mom behind… I… don't know how… how I would face her? It sounds easy… but it's easier said than done," Red mumbled nearly inaudibly, his courage was falling, plummeting under Green's scrutinizing, fixated stare.

"Your mom bawls her eyes out at our house sometimes, man all she wants is to know that you're even alive so if you think she's gonna be angry at you, then sorry, ya got another thing comin'," he chided moodily, patience evidently wearing thin. "You're giving me a load of excuses, Red, there is not a single valid reason why you shouldn't come back and you know it."

"I'm the reason why you're not the champion…! I took that title away from _you!_"

Green flinched, as did Red when realization dawned on him he raised his voice to the level of average speak: it was unbecoming of him, it transcended his general control over his calm composure, a sickening feeling resided in his belly for admitting the core of his problems,

his shoulders were heaving, his hands were curled in a tight fists,

_for so long he's been terrified._

He's the strongest trainer in the region; his heart was in the right place when he challenged the members of Team Rocket, when he faced against the leader of the sinister organization himself, when he traveled through dark towns at the delicate age of ten. He always assumed he was psychically prepared, _mentally_ prepared, for everything in his journey,

all except when the hatred in Green's eyes intensified.

Convinced, he was _thoroughly_ convinced his longtime best friend wanted nothing more than to sever ties with the "friend" that took his pride away, that trampled the ego that lead him to continue, to struggle, to possess the title of the strongest trainer because he was a _winner_ that was destined to maintain the position of champion. His soul must have been flaring with absolute, genuine happiness when he won the battle with the previous champion because it blinded him with this image that he was no defeated failure, a lowly position he almost believed he was a part of with every consecutive loss.

And then he crashed, perhaps he became apprehensive in his first pokémon's defeat, but along the line his expression was falling, it was searching for reason because he had just _proved himself_. Proved he could strive and achieve, yet he was losing to the friend he trusted for years, to the same boy that lived right next door that would listen to his stories or hold hands with him when they were walking through the forest teeming with frightening, prowling pokémon.

Red had no idea if Green had been fighting against a troubling inferiority complex or if his search was only made possible through his mother's emotional sobbing, or Daisy's sisterly concern to bring Red home.

"Yeah," Green said resignedly, "you did."

Green had no indication of leaving after the sudden outburst, if anything he merely crouched, dusted the lumpy mounds of snow beneath him, and sat down, hugging his knees. His shoes were buried half an inch beneath the snow, Eevee took it upon itself to curl into a ball and nestle itself on Green's shoes to provide an ample amount of warmth.

Red returned to the cave.

* * *

It could have been dusk when Red was stirred awake, it was moment of yet another sleepless night, his bleary eyes taking in the sight of his snoozing pokémon resting comfortably, the cold air was reduced to a brisk wisp with the aid of Charizard's flaming tail. Immediately on his feet, he rounded Snorlax to see if Green was sleeping on the other side, except the spot was only occupied by Pikachu that presumably rolled off Snorlax's belly while asleep.

When he stepped outside, his eyes widened in alarm, he was on his feet dashing to Green's slumbering, shivering form buried in the clumps of snowfall that was created in his toss and turns to keep warm. Eevee was acting as a pillow under its trainer's head, its large, furry tail wrapped around Green's neck as makeshift scarf, and Red recoiled his hand in one swift motion, as if he touched the handle of a boiling metal pot, inwardly panicking that Green's body was frighteningly cold, his skin delving into a sickly hue rather than retaining a natural sun-kissed color.

Finding out that the pair were heavy sleepers was a blessing as it was a curse, dragging Green's body was a chore through the snow with one arm, Eevee held securely under his arm pit on the other arm, and breathed a wondrous sigh of relief he set both on Snorlax. A physical exertion on an unholy hour of the night was quick to tucker Red out that he was slumped near Green, resting on his side, his mittens nearly brushing Green's hand. It was a fond moment to take in that, regardless of the years that passed, Green slept in the same posture when he was relaxed.

One hand on his stomach, one hand near Red.

Even now, Red knew better than anyone today is still not the day.

Hours in after he long drifted to sleep, the teen woke up twice in the middle night with a troubling, exasperating predicament: whenever he wasted his depleting energy to bring Eevee and Green inside the cave, Red would find the spots they rested on were cold and void of its two occupants. He aligned the pieces together that Green, upon finding himself in the cave than his poor, snowy bed, would return to the cold by his free will to sleep the night, completely disregarding his unhealthy body temperature fluctuating between dangerously cold and cozy warm.

During the second attempt, Red passed down the warm garments he received to Green, and when he woke up the third time he found the scarf was returned around his neck and the mittens on his hands, but that third time he forced himself awake to prevent Green from wandering off. His efforts became fruitless with the rising sun peaking from the horizon, every cell in his body felt like shutting down: he was exhausted, and sleep felt so wonderful that he drifted away into a static land of slumber.

When he woke up, he found Green shivering on his snowy pile, no longer asleep, but fitting Eevee into warm clothes, his lips upturned at the corners in deep apology that he completely forgot to dress the poor pokémon earlier for the night.

Green stopped his chatter, directing a calm stare at the trainer with faint bags under his eyes. "Mornin'," he greeted, a dull, cynical undertone following it.

Agitated, yet not willing to show it, Red turned on his heels and returned to the cave.

* * *

To recover, Red took brief naps within the day, and every time he woke up he would find a new container of food waiting for him, his pokémon knowingly snickering at his confusion: it would be food, it would be snacks, other times it would be a warm drink. Not once had he seen Green move from his spot, not once had he seen the brunet digging in his backpack for food solely for himself – no, he would always be sitting on the same spot, either gazing ahead from the mountain peak, striking a conversation with Eevee, or watching Red's pokémon at play.

It was infuriating.

The former champion of Kanto left such a vague answer the day before, neither hinting to a secret resentment or disinterest in the subject, as if it no longer held much of an importance to concern himself over.

Yet he remained on the mountain, greeting Red when he saw him poke his head out of the cave, completely mindful that he would never earn a response.

The second night was a repeat of the same struggles: he would desperately try to remain conscious when he brought Green inside the cave, only to find out hours later he would knock out and the brunet was back in the snow torturing himself asleep. He begged his pokémon to ensure Green did not leave, but they expressed through grunts and whines it was not their place to stop someone that was not their trainer, or at least Red gathered as much.

On his fourth attempt, Red made use of the sweater his mother packed for him, drearily and messily slipping it over Green's coat—if he were to wake up, which he never did, Red could care less and would be more than delighted to deal with Green for the first time while conscious to _stay put_—casting one last glance at the hand lying so close beside him, that remained so close, yet so far.

Again his attempts fell to naught in the morning with his eyebags turning a slight shade darker, his eyebrows knitting together as he moodily walked out of the cave, controlling the urge to glare at the teen making a little snowman between his feet with Eevee. And again he would greet Red with the same level of energy in the morning, shrugging nonchalantly when Red turned his back on him to return to nap in his abode.

What flew past his head was the sweater he put on Green the other night was covering Pikachu's sleeping form. Another failure. When he woke up from his short nap, a warm cup of hot chocolate and a modest sized warm sandwich was set beside him; behind him Snorlax was sniffing the air.

On the third night Red became desperate when he dragged Green inside, he rummaged through Green's backpack to make use of the rope the teen must have used to scale several sections of the mountain. Hesitant to touch Green, Red determinedly tied knotted one end of the rope on Snorlax's foot, another knot around his wrist, and the last end of the rope was knotted loosely on Green's wrist to prevent rope burn, although secure enough he does not merely slip his wrist out. Maybe the slightest tug would wake him before Green had the chance to sneak out, and it was that logic that helped him sleep a bit easier and a bit faster.

Like usual, he awoke in the later hours, baffled Green was not beside him and nearly attempted to scream in frustration that the knot on Snorlax's foot was unraveled and rather both his wrist were tied together by a large, neat bow. Using his teeth to loosen the knot of the rope, he was nearly at his wits' end when he stepped outside, his foot ready to kick at the snow to bury Green in. His last measure for the night was putting all the garments he acquired on Green, then tying Green's wrists to his feet, finally glaring at the teen's sleeping form, almost daring him to escape this time.

The morning he woke up, Red saw rope. The rope was pressed on his face, as if taunting him Green escaped through some obscure method and that the single item he put his faith in was yet another useless attempt, just like the warm gear that was also returned on his body, all except the sweater that Pikachu was nuzzling on. Stepping out of the cave, he caught Green petting Eevee's ears, occupying the spot he sat and slept on.

"Morn-"

Red didn't even listen completely before heatedly returning to the cave.

His body was giving in, his naps could never replace the full hours of deep sleep he was once able to have the privilege of having until Green decided to desecrate his sleep pattern within a matter of days, he wished Green would put a stop to his antics: they weren't playful, they weren't humorous, they were _terrifying. _Hypothermia could snatch his life, a shuddering dread crawled up his spine to imagine the upsetting possibility if he never woke up during the night to drag Green near Charizard's flame, even if only for an hour to restore the familiar hue of color on his cheeks.

Despite his efforts, Green was allowing himself to freeze during night and day as long as he refused to leave Mt. Silver. Frustrated, Red took a nap midday, what waited for him a warm cup of milk and toast with a berry spread.

When night came, Red made the usual routine to drag Green and Eevee inside the cave, but he made no effort to restrain Green or apply some extra clothing to stop the chatter of his teeth. The bags were deep under his eyes, his body continued to cry out for sleep, yet he was resting on his side again, absently tracing circles with his mittens purposefully near Green's hand.

It has been on his mind for the past few nights what was Green hoping to gain: there was nothing to win but the title as the first person to dwindle his sanity to an all-time low. Yes, he wanted Red off this mountain, but he was holding onto a single streak of hope that Green would admit defeat from the lack of food he mostly gave Red while he ate little to nothing. There was absolute nothingness at the peak of the mountain, an absence of entertainment, no battles, no family, and a lack of human communication. Green was his own chatterbox but with someone at least acknowledging his ramblings.

Red took in Green's sleeping face, he appeared finely rested, he seemed nourished, he was recovering his color, it was nearly admirable how much he still had remnants of his boyish features but it was balanced by his rapid maturity.

He woke up several times later in the night bringing the two back in the cave.

In the morning, he walked out of the cave, and took a stand near Green forming a small snow fort for his yipping partner, his fingers red from the long exposure of the snow touching his fingertips.

"Morn-"

"Please leave."

Green blinked owlishly before a wicked smirk crept on his lips, he leaned forward on his spot, resting his hand on his cheek. "It sucks, right? When someone doesn't want to listen to ya? Either you learn to deal or you give up. Now really think about this, who's really losing here?"

Red pursed his lips. "This isn't a competition… do you… do you even _know_ how dangerous this is?"

His smirk was set in a neutral, fine line; he broke eye contact with the angry pools of scarlet and set his gaze on the gray, cloudy sky. "Yeah, I do," he admitted, drumming his fingers against his cheek, "but who could look after you better than I can?"

Unsure of a response, Red decided to make a defensive retort. "I'm… not a little kid."

"…I know, but it takes someone important for me to be constantly on their case. My family is a given, your mom is practically family, and you," he paused to chuckle heartily, out of the corner of his eye he locked visual contact with Red again, "you tire me out, you make me want to strangle you sometimes, but you make me go out of my way to find you and come back as often as you come up here or anywhere else for that matter. Remember this, for the great Green Oak to say this, you must be pretty important."

Green stood up, patting the snow off his pants, and said something Red almost did not catch. "Go round up your pokémon; I'll live another few minutes."

Red scampered away, returning all but Charizard and Pikachu. In a newfound ecstatic mood, he scratched behind Pikachu's ear, eliciting a happy cry from his partner.

_"Maybe more than rest."_

* * *

Green left him alone on the first day so Red and his mother could catch up, which mostly consisted of his mother sobbing and spewing gibberish and kissing her son on the cheek, embracing him tightly to convey that he was missed, then shortly after apologizing for almost giving up hope just like everyone else did, apologizing she nearly lost faith during Green's constant searches, but before Red could question her, she prodded him with questions over a meal of his choice.

The next morning Red and his mother joined the Oak family, Professor Oak strictly scolding him for his disappearance but spread his arms out for a hug, he was overjoyed that Red was safe and well. Daisy pinched his cheek painfully, Green snickered without offering any help, his leave earned him a long winded earful but showered with hugs soon after.

The families promised to have dinner together.

Time went on, his mother accepted his journeys or even the return to Mt. Silver—there was a new flare that one day he'll find someone that will give him the battle of a lifetime, the pokémon were especially strong on the mountain trail to train against—but if he stayed too long, Green would always fetch him, and on the same day he would explain he only dragged him back for the cookies he's been "promised as long as Red returns."

One day before he set off to Mt. Silver, the families joined together again for a family dinner, the two adults on one side, the three teenagers on the other. Green was preoccupied bickering with his grandfather to notice Daisy leaning near Red and beckoning him with her finger to come closer.

"I'm not sure if anyone told you this but Green went nuts trying to find you. He never quit even when grandpa and I assumed the worst…" Red shook his head, indicating that he never took that piece of information personal. "One time we told him to stop because it was 'Red's out there' this or 'Red could be there for all we know' that, but he yammered on and on about finding you. He was going to _win _finding you like this was just a challenge to him. And what do you know? He did find you, and in all my years I was stuck being his older sister, let me tell you, you really are the only person I know who he would go to great lengths for. Ahh, but you know me, just thought you should know!"

She giggled sweetly, regained her seating posture, and whispered quietly, "Believe it or not, despite everything you two have been through, Green never stopped caring. When you were kids, when he left, when he got angry, while growing up," she twiddled her spoon playfully, "even now."

On that dinner night while everyone finished their meal and spent the lasting hours talking, Red peered down at Green's hand. Red set his hand beside Green, not overlapping each other, but enough for the brunet to notice the feather-light touch.

When Red returned to Mt. Silver, he lost track of the time he spent training but without fail once the end of every second week arrives —

Green, accompanied by Eevee, would be bundled in a heavy winter coat, grumpily rubbing his hands together to combat the chilly winds. "C'mon, Red, it's time to go!"

"Be right there, Green," he would respond, gathering his pokémon.

— only then does Red accept defeat.

And Red could finally have the peace of mind to think the distance between them was no longer so far off now that Green was finally within reach.

* * *

**A/N**: check out my profile for a link to the cover art of this fic!


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